The Witcher: Blood Origin Explained

Showrunner:Declan de Barra
Narrated:Minnie Driver
Composer:Bear McCreary
Language:English
Num Episodes:4
Runtime:43–64 minutes
Network:Netflix
Related:The Witcher

The Witcher: Blood Origin is a fantasy television miniseries created by Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and loosely adapted from the Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski.[1] It serves as a prequel to The Witcher. The series premiered on December 25, 2022 on Netflix, and consists of four episodes.[2]

Premise

Set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher television series, Blood Origin depicts the creation of the first Witcher, as well as the events leading to the "Conjunction of the Spheres".[3] It also explores the ancient Elven civilization Xin'trea before its demise.[4] Geralt of Rivia's bard ally Jaskier is saved from a war by the mysterious elf Seanchai where she has him write down the untold legend of seven warriors who went up against the forces of Xin'trea following its coup d'état.

Cast and characters

Main

Supporting

Production

It was announced in July 2020 that Netflix had green-lit a six-part miniseries prequel to its television series adaptation of the Andrzej Sapkowski novels. Declan de Barra was hired to serve as showrunner.[12] In January 2021, Jodie Turner-Smith was cast to star in the series.[13] Laurence O’Fuarain would join the cast in March,[14] but by April, Turner-Smith had to exit due to scheduling conflicts.[15] In July, Michelle Yeoh was added,[16] with Sophia Brown taking over the role vacated by Turner-Smith.[17]

Filming on the series began in August 2021 in the United Kingdom, with additional castings including Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis and Dylan Moran announced.[5] De Bara announced it had finished filming and went into post-production in November 2021.[18]

Reception

[19] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series has received a score of 45 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20]

David Griffin reviewing it for IGN praised it for special effects, action scenes, and the "engaging band of misfits" as protagonists, but noted that the story villains were not very interesting.[21] Zosha Millman reviewing the series for Polygon criticized it for being mundane, writing that the show "has no time for consideration of what makes the Witcher universe unique or meaningful at all, leaving it as just a muddled, reckless attempt to get more Witcher stuff out the door".[22] Andrew Webster writing for The Verge likewise argued that without the titular Witcher (Geralt of Rivia) or another memorable lead, the series lacks something special to make it stand on its own.[23] Therese Lacson writing for the Collider criticized the series for its "slapdash storylines" and "half-baked" villains, and noted that too often the show "slips into either complete camp, cringe, or melodrama".[24] Darren Mooney reviewing the show for The Escapist called it a "bloody mess" and a "spectacular misfire", criticizing its characters as uninteresting, and "editorial tinkering" as clumsy and ineffective.[25] In Slant Magazine, Niv M. Sultan wrote that "the series proves too hurried and scattered to penetrate much beyond the surface of its universe and characters."[26] Vicky Jessop in the London Evening Standard said that "it's hard to feel invested in the fate of the characters".[27] David Opie writing for Digital Spy likewise criticized the cast, noting that "Most of these characters, and therefore Blood Origin itself, remain frustratingly limited".[28]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: July 13, 2022 . The Witcher: Blood Origin . August 2, 2022 . Writers Guild of America West.
  2. Romano . Nick . September 24, 2022 . Minnie Driver joins The Witcher-verse in pivotal role that starts with Blood Origin . September 24, 2022 . Entertainment Weekly.
  3. Romano . Nick . The Witcher: Blood Origin creator explains how spin-off will explore a 'pre-colonized world' of elves . Entertainment Weekly . November 8, 2021 . November 8, 2021.
  4. Web site: Novara. Brandon . The Witcher: Blood Origin Is Coming Soon, Here's What We Know . movieweb . November 8, 2021 . November 4, 2021.
  5. Web site: Wiseman . Andreas . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin': Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis, Dylan Moran Among Cast To Join Netflix Prequel Series; Filming Underway In UK . Deadline . November 1, 2021 . August 16, 2021.
  6. Web site: Liu . Narayan . The Witcher: Blood Origin Set Photo Debuts An All-New Character . CBR . November 9, 2021 . September 20, 2021.
  7. Web site: DiLillo . John . Minnie Driver Bewitches as the Narrator of 'The Witcher: Blood Origin'. netflix.com . 25 September 2022.
  8. Web site: Hermanns . Grant . Witcher: Blood Origin Has Definitive End But Could Continue, Says Showrunner . Screen Rant . November 9, 2021 . November 8, 2021.
  9. News: The Last Kingdom star Mark Rowley cast in The Witcher: Blood Origin. redanianintelligence.com . 30 September 2021.
  10. Web site: Sarrubba . Stefania . It's A Sin's Nathaniel Curtis and Sir Lenny Henry join The Witcher: Blood Origin prequel show . Digital Spy . November 9, 2021 . August 16, 2021.
  11. Web site: The Witcher prequel series 'Blood Origin' adds 8 actors. Rednian Intelligence. 10 November 2010. 18 June 2022.
  12. Web site: Wiseman . Andreas . Netflix Sets Prequel Series 'The Witcher: Blood Origin' . . 16 August 2021 . July 27, 2020.
  13. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin': Jodie Turner-Smith To Star In Netflix's 'Witcher' Prequel Series . . 16 August 2021 . January 25, 2021.
  14. Web site: Grater . Tom . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin' Casts 'Vikings' Actor Laurence O'Fuarain In Leading Role . . 16 August 2021 . March 26, 2021.
  15. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Jodie Turner-Smith Exits 'The Witcher: Blood Origin' Netflix Limited Series Due To Scheduling Issue . . 16 August 2021 . April 7, 2021.
  16. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin': Michelle Yeoh Cast As Scian In Netflix Prequel Series . . 16 August 2021 . July 6, 2021.
  17. Web site: Wiseman . Andreas . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin': Sophia Brown To Star With Laurence O'Fuarain & Michelle Yeoh In Netflix Fantasy Series, Filming To Begin In The UK In August . . 16 August 2021 . July 8, 2021.
  18. Web site: Bishop . Rollin . The Witcher: Blood Origin Wraps Filming . Comic Book . December 2, 2021 . November 21, 2021.
  19. the_witcher_blood_origin . tv . 1 . The Witcher: Blood Origin . September 18, 2023.
  20. Web site: The Witcher: Blood Origin - Season 1. January 12, 2023 . . Fandom, Inc..
  21. Web site: Griffin . David . 2022-12-12 . The Witcher: Blood Origin Review . 2022-12-14 . IGN . en.
  22. Web site: Millman . Zosha . 2022-12-11 . The Witcher: Blood Origin isn't a great sign for a post-Henry Cavill future . 2022-12-14 . Polygon . en-US.
  23. Web site: Webster . Andrew . 2022-12-12 . The Witcher: Blood Origin isn't witcher-y enough to stand out . 2022-12-14 . The Verge . en-US.
  24. Web site: Lacson . Therese . 2022-12-12 . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin' Review: Too Many New Characters, Not Enough Time . 2022-12-14 . Collider . en-US.
  25. Web site: Mooney . Darren . 2022-12-12 . The Witcher: Blood Origin Is a Bloody Mess . 2022-12-14 . The Escapist . en-US.
  26. Web site: Sultan . Niv M. . 2022-12-12 . 'The Witcher: Blood Origin' Review: A Prequel Short on Spectacle . 2022-12-14 . Slant Magazine . en-US.
  27. Web site: Rotten Tomatoes: Movies TV Shows Movie Trailers Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes . 2022-12-14 . www.rottentomatoes.com . en.
  28. Web site: 2022-12-12 . How does The Witcher: Blood Origin fare without Henry Cavill? . 2022-12-14 . Digital Spy . en-GB.

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